Vancouver Canucks 2026-27 Player Projections: Thatcher Demko

In the end, Demko started only 20 games, his fewest since 2018-19, when he started eight. Injuries have been a problem for the 2024 Vezina Trophy finalist for what seems like a lifetime, even during that season where he finished as a runner-up to Connor Hellebuyck. He’s now 30 years old and surprisingly has just 256 starts under his belt. Compare that to a workhorse in 27-year-old Jake Oettinger, who has 296, and you can see how much time Demko has spent on the IR in his career.

Expectations for 2026-27

When Demko is healthy and at his best, he is an elite No. 1 goaltender capable of stealing games. The problem is the Canucks are heading into a rebuild, and the last thing they need is a goalie that can pull points out of the fire. He is also entering the first year of a three-year extension he signed last offseason, with a full no-move clause (NMC). He says he wants to be part of the solution in Vancouver, but with the rebuild expected to take five years, his age doesn’t match the timeline. Couple that with his inability to stay healthy, and it’s tough to see him as part of the long-term future.

Having said that, Demko’s attitude is exactly the type of thing Johnson wants in the organization: a desire to be part of the rebuild, no matter how tough it gets. He likely won’t add a lot of wins to his resume over the next three years, but his veteran leadership and character will be invaluable in the locker room. If he can somehow get back to the 40-45 start range, he might also showcase himself enough to garner some trade interest. Yes, he has an NMC, but Johnson has already shown that he can convince veterans to waive it – most recently Marcus Pettersson.

Demko’s expectations heading into this season are simple: stay healthy. That’s the only way the Canucks can get max value if they decide to trade him. Unless the rebuild takes much shorter than expected, he is only here for the intangibles, not for winning games. The best they can hope for is that he plays well enough to show he is still a solid starter worth at least a first-round pick or blue-chip prospect, while the Canucks come just short of picking up points in games he starts.

He Said It

“I’m going to be in a great spot in a couple months here. Just kind of that overlying disappointment watching the guys kind of go through what happened this year, and not feel like I could really contribute or help out, I think that when I’m playing the way I can play… I can help (them) kind of get through some rough times. So it was definitely tough. It’s been a tough two years; I’m not going to sugarcoat that. But I think just my willingness to kind of get through that and stay committed to these guys up here, and to the city and to the organization, like I said, my fire and my passion has just been growing and growing the last few weeks and few months here.”

– Demko during end-of-season media availability

2026-27 Projections

In his media availability before the 2026 Draft, Johnson was hesitant to confirm that Demko would be ready for training camp when it begins in Penticton on Sept. 17. The good news is that he has already moved to on-ice work. Furthermore, he’s in a positive headspace following the hip surgery he underwent in January.

Demko said during the team’s end-of-season media availability that the surgery fixed the issues he’s had in recent seasons: “I think that this last operation that I had is going to be the answer for all that. So it’s kind of like that one last time going through all this, hopefully. I mean, obviously it’s a game, and you don’t know what the future holds as far as injuries. Anyone can get hurt any night. But just some of the nagging stuff I had hopefully kind of dissipates. We’ve addressed the larger picture.”

If that’s the case, the Canucks should be able to comfortably use the 1A/1B system with Demko and Kevin Lankinen each starting 40-45 games. They could even add Nikita Tolopilo to the mix and reduce that to 30-35, keeping everyone healthy and fresh. Assuming they do the former and Demko avoids the injury bug for the first time in a while, he will start 40 games and finish with a 2.50 goals-against average (GAA), .910 save percentage (SV%) and three shutouts. Yes, I am being optimistic and saying he returns to the Demko of 2023-24 when he was at his best. What that does for the Canucks’ rebuild, and whether they trade him because of his return to form, remain to be seen.